Spending rises in shops and tourist sites

Source: Xinhua | 2019-06-10

CONSUMPTION in Shanghai over the Dragon Boat Festival holiday totaled 10.658 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion), up 7.73 percent from a year earlier.

According to data from China UnionPay Merchant Services Co (China UMS), the number of people who spent money during the three-day holiday rose 11.24 percent from the same period last year to exceed 7.3 million.

Tills rang at well-established commercial areas such as Nanjing Road W., Nanjing Road E. and Lujiazui in Pudong. Around 2.7 million visitors from other provinces and cities spent more than 3.98 billion yuan in Shanghai.

The number of visitors and spending increased by 10.2 percent and 13.34 percent, respectively year on year.

Tourists from Jiangsu Province accounted for 23.05 percent of the total number of visitors, followed by Zhejiang Province at 10.96 percent.

In terms of cities, Suzhou, Beijing and Shenzhen contributed the most visitors, accounting for 8.09 percent, 6.20 percent and 4.93 percent of the total.

More than 2.62 million Shanghai residents took trips out of the city, spending 2.751 billion yuan in total, or 1,049 yuan per capita.

The figures were up by 3.62 percent, 6.65 percent and 2.92 percent respectively compared with the same period last year.

Tourists sites across the country were visited by about 96 million people, a 7.7 percent yearly increase. Tourism revenue reached 39.33 billion yuan (US$5.7 billion) during the holiday, up 8.6 percent year on year, according to the ministry.

Over the three-day holiday, more than 3,200 activities were scheduled across China to celebrate this year’s Cultural and Natural Heritage Day which fell on Saturday.

An intangible cultural heritage fair, which showcased 40 items on the list of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Intangible Cultural Heritage, started in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Friday.

Exhibitions, shows, lectures and forums present the vivid practice of intangible cultural heritage protection and development in China.

The rich variety of Dragon Boat Festival activities was a major theme in Zigui County in central China’s Hubei Province, the hometown of Qu Yuan, with activities such as dragon boat races.

An exhibition on guqin, the Chinese zither, a Kunqu Opera performance, an educational television show by invited experts as well as a photo exhibition of intangible cultural heritage were also staged.